Dani- Phantom or Fenton?
by Lovely.Quiet.Storm
Summary: Dani Phantom has been surviving on her own on the streets but meets Danny again. He tries to convince her to officially become a Fenton and Dani has to make a choice. But will another encounter with Vlad ruin everything?
1. Chapter 1

"Mom, where's the Frisbee? We want to play!" a little boy cried, tugging on his mother's arm. Danielle Phantom watched from the bench she was sitting on, smiling as the boy and his brother took out the toy and started throwing it back and forth. She was in the park, surrounded by picnicking families and dog walkers. Her feet dangled above the ground, the laces to her blue sneakers slightly undone. Her usual red shorts had been replaced with a pair of jeans she had swiped due to the cold weather. The blue hoodie she wore kept her warm as a gust of wind blew through the park, almost knocking the red cap off her dark hair. Tired of watching the playing children, she stood up and started walking.

Normally going to the park and seeing all the happy families was a fun way to pass the time but today it made her feel depressed. The only family she had was her "cousin" Danny Fenton, who she hadn't seen in over three months, and her demonic father. The last time she had seen him was when he had sent a ghost-hunter named Valerie to capture her. He had attempted to melt her down but Danny had saved her.

"Look out!" she heard the boy yell. She spun, ready to go ghost. The Frisbee flew past her, barely missing her face. "Sorry!" Danielle, or Dani as she preferred to go by, turned to walk again, trying to calm her racing heart. Ever since her last encounter with her father, Vlad, she had been extremely paranoid. She was worried she might accidentally go ghost one time and reveal her identity.

"Calm down, Dani. Vlad doesn't know where you are. Besides, he's probably too busy fighting Danny to come after you," she told herself. The thought was similar to the one she had before he captured her before, however, so it didn't do much to reassure herself. Sighing, she left the park in search for some food.

A fruit stand was on the side of the road. She walked past and secretly made her hands intangible so they could pass through the crate holding some apples and grab two. The man didn't notice a thing. She turned the next block and made her hands and the apples visible, biting into one and sticking the other in her pocket. Stealing always made her feel guilty, but she didn't know what else to do. She had nowhere to go.

Suddenly, blue mist came out of her mouth. No ghosts were around her, though. "I am the Box Ghost!" she heard someone yell. Then a ghost flew down the street, chased by a black and white streak. _Danny_, she thought. "I'm going ghost!" she exclaimed happily, glad nobody was around. A ring appeared around her waist, splitting to travel up and down her body. Her outfit turned into a suit of mixed black and white colors. Her spikey black hair turned white and her eyes became green. Smiling, she flew down the street in pursuit of the two ghosts.


	2. Chapter 2

Coming around a corner, she stopped, floating a couple of feet above the tops of the buildings below her. Danny and the Box Ghost were gone. "Where'd they go?" she wondered. The sound of fighting drew her back to the park again. Zooming over, she spotted Danny zapping the Box Ghost in the Fenton Thermos. She was about to fly down when she heard a low voice behind her.

"Aha! I knew that Box Ghost would be a good distraction!" She turned in time to see Skulker shooting a net at her. Dani screamed as she became ensnared in the net and tumbled to the ground a few feet away from Danny. He gave her a surprised and concerned look.

"Dani? What are-" He was interrupted by Skulker, who landed next to Dani and grabbed the top of the net, only to drop it when he saw Danny. "Skulker?"

"If you're Danny Phantom, who did I catch?" Skulker looked down and saw Dani struggling to free herself. "There's another halfa?" Danny's hands became surrounded with green light as he narrowed his eyes at Skulker.

"I don't know what you want with Dani, but you're going to let her go. _Now_." Skulker laughed.

"I don't take orders from you, whelp. If there are two of you, I'm going to at least take one." With that, he grabbed the net and took off. Dani screamed as the ground beneath her disappeared. The net wouldn't let her go intangible- she was trapped. Skulker laughed again as a ghost portal opened up in front of him. He had finally caught one of the most valuable prizes he had ever wanted! Absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't see the ecto-blast until it hit him square in the chest. He spun in the air and then yelled as he felt himself being drawn into the Fenton Thermos.

Danny closed the lid to the Thermos and then grabbed the falling net with Dani inside. He lowered down to the ground and untangled the net to free her. She climbed out gratefully and gave him a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She seemed thinner since the last time he saw her, like she hadn't been eating. Purple spots under her eyes gave away her lack of sleep.

"I'm great now, thanks. Who was that?"

"That was Skulker. He collects rare things- or people. I guess he sent the Box Ghost out as a distraction so he could get me and he caught you instead," he said. She smiled sheepishly. "So where have you been? I haven't seen you in a couple of months."

"I flew around some, but eventually I just came back to Amity Park. I was going to visit, but I wasn't sure how to explain myself to your family. I've just been wandering around," she said as she looked down at her feet, ashamed of her lies. She had been here the whole time. She hadn't visited because she felt like a burden to Danny, just a weird clone girl he had to deal with. But she had missed him.

"Well, I'm glad you're back," he said. She looked up to see him giving her a smile. She couldn't help but grin back. "Come on, let's grab something for dinner. I'm starving." They both changed back to human form and started walking out of the park.

"Your parents won't mind if you stay out?" Dani asked, afraid he would get into trouble because of her. He shook his head.

"No problem. They probably won't even notice I'm gone. They're normally too busy dealing with some mishap in the lab." Dani shivered at the word _lab_; she had never had good experiences with them. Brushing off her paranoia, she followed Danny to the Nasty Burger. She had passed by it many times before but had never had enough money to go in. It was almost impossible to swipe from since the food had to be brought to the customer. As the doors opened, the smell of cooking meat and salty fries hit her like a wall and her stomach grumbled. The two sat at a booth and she felt her heavy heart lift as she looked through the menu. For the first time in a long time, she was going to eat actual food.


	3. Chapter 3

"So how have you been?" Danny asked after they had ordered their food. He couldn't help but notice how hungry his "cousin" had seemed while looking through the menu. Dani gave him a small smile and shrugged.

"Same old, same old. Nothing exciting." Danny raised an eyebrow. "I've been keeping out of trouble, if that's what you mean. Today was the first time I've gone full ghost in a while."

"That's not what I mean, Danielle. You look awful. Have you been eating?" Danny knew that she was just a clone of him and that she shouldn't really mean anything, but he cared for the girl he had dubbed his "cousin." Besides, he hadn't seen her in a long time. He had been worried about her after she had flown off. The last time she had left, she had returned unstable and had been almost been turned into a puddle of ectoplasm. Danny felt protective of her.

"Not anything fancy like this, but yeah, I've been eating. You don't have to look out for me, Danny. I've been okay on my own." The food was served and Dani looked hungry at her burger. It struck her how long it had been since the last time she had eaten one. It had been back when she was still living with her father. Clearing her thoughts of him, she picked it up and started eating with vigor.

"Fancy like this? Dani, this is a cheap place that kids go to when they're sick of school. I don't think you've been doing alright. When was the last time you got any sleep?" Dani hesitated.

"Two nights ago, I think. It's not a big deal. I'm just a hyper girl," she said, smiling wide. He didn't smile back. "So how is school going?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Dani, I don't think you should be living on your own. Yeah, you can kick some major ghost butt. But you're also a twelve-year-old girl. You need a home. I don't know where, but you need one." Dani surprised him by turning defensive.

"I don't _need _anyone to take care of me, Danny. I already have a father. Remember how that turned out? I'm better on my own," she snapped. She hadn't meant to sound so bitter, but she didn't want Danny to be worrying about her. She wasn't his responsibility and she didn't want to burden him. Danny was more than a cousin to her, he was her idol. He was the one who had made her see that her father was only using her, and then had saved her when Vlad had tried to destroy her. She only messed things up for him.

"You do need a family, Danielle, and you know it. You aren't a normal girl, but you still need a normal family. You need to go to school, eat dinner every night, etcetera. Maybe there's a way to get you into the adoption agency thing-"

"No!" Dani cried. Her eyes flashed green. "I don't want to be stuck with some strangers I'm going to have to hide my powers around. Then I'll just be a burden to them, too. I might as well just stick it out on my own. I've been doing fine so far."

Danny sighed. He knew that she wasn't going to budge on this. He still wanted her off the streets, though. "Will you at least spend tonight at my house? My sister Jazz is out with her friends, you could sleep in her room. We'll just have to be careful about hiding you from my parents."

"No, Danny, you don't have to do this for me. I don't want to trouble you." Dani wanted to spend the night in an actual bed, but she was worried that Danny was only helping her because he thought he had to.

"I want to, Dani. Now, let me pay the bill real quick and we can go." Danny had meant to be nice by paying for her meal, but mentioning it only made the smile on her face fade. Dani told herself that she would pay him back eventually, but this only made her feel like more of a burden. As soon as Danny returned, he grabbed her hand and they walked out the door, heading to the Fenton home. Dani was excited to sleep in a real house for once, but she knew she had to be careful around Danny's parents. It was going to be an interesting night.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Danny called, walking in the door. Dani quietly followed him in, having changed into her ghost form before entering so she could easily go intangible if needed. A mumbled reply from down stairs was heard; Dani assumed it came from the lab. "Jazz's room is this way." Danny led her through the house and she was awed by how big it seemed. Her father's home had been huge, but she hadn't been in a real house in so long that it made this one seem enormous.

Jazz's room was simple and seemed kind of young for a girl her age, but Dani liked it. She hopped up on the bed and laid down, trying not to fall asleep immediately. When she sat up to tell Danny how grateful she was, she realized that she had accidentally reverted back to human form. It almost scared her how exhausted she was. Yawning, she looked back at Danny. "Thank you for letting me spend the night here," she said. Danny smiled.

"No problem. My room is just down the hall if you need me. I doubt my parents will come in here, so you should be fine. Good night." He flicked the lights off and grinned to himself as he saw her close her eyes, not even bothering to get under the covers. Closing the door, he turned and ran right into his parents, neither of whom looked very pleased.

"Who were you just talking to?" his mother asked. She was wearing her big goggles, which meant that she had been working on something ghost-related in the lab. His father didn't look too upset, though he seemed to be too busy eating a muffin to really pay attention. His mother leaned past him, reaching for the doorknob. Danny moved to stand in front of the door. "You better tell us what's going on."

"I…uh…" Danny struggled to think of something quickly. "I have a, um, friend, who ran away from home. Well, she's not really my friend," he corrected, thinking of the age difference, "but she's my friend's little sister. I told her she could spend the night here while she figures out what she wants to do. I'm sure she'll go running back home tomorrow. You know kids these days." He tried to chuckle, but it sounded more like him choking because he was so nervous.

"Well, I guess that's alright. If she doesn't want to go back tomorrow, though, we need to call her parents, okay? Oh, you really are a sweet boy," she added, pinching his cheek. She turned and then gasped at her husband. "Jack, I thought I told you to throw the rest of that muffin away! You know we spilled ectoplasm on it." Danny's parents started walking to their room, bickering all the way. He waited until he heard their door close before letting out a deep breath. "That went better than I thought it would," he thought happily.

Peeking his head inside Jazz's door again to make sure Dani was still asleep, he saw that she had found her way under the covers. He walked inside and looked down at her, glad she was getting some rest. Her face seemed so innocent and carefree, a look any other twelve-year-old girl would have most of the time. A stab of regret struck his heart, knowing that he was the reason she was created and it was partially his fault for her being out on the streets. He hadn't exactly chased after her after the last battle with Vlad. He was fifteen, though. What could he have done?

Sighing, he leaned down and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Dani," he whispered, leaving the room again and closing the door behind him. He went back to his room and changed into pajamas before climbing into bed. He didn't know what he was going to do with Dani or his family in the morning, but for now, he was tired. Flicking off the lamp beside his bed, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

…

After about an hour had passed after the lights in the room had gone off, the Vladbug detached itself from the wall and scurried down to the bed post. Its eyes turned into lenses as it filmed the small girl's sleeping form on the bed in front of it. It had been following the girl for some time now, secretly spying on her and sending information back to its creator. It took a small video and then sent it to its creator before crawling back up onto the wall and disguising itself again.

"So, my daughter has joined Danny Phantom once again," Vlad Masters remarked, watching the video he had been sent on a small screen in front of him. "She may not be a threat to me; I'll have to keep an eye on her. Who knows what sorts of evil thoughts Daniel might give her about myself." He switched the screen to a database with all of the Vladbugs' information on it. He programmed a few more to spy on the young half-ghost and then turned the computer off.

"Maddie, dear, would you bring me some cookies in my library? I'm going to read a bit before bed and I'm awfully hungry." A hologram resembling Maddie Fenton appeared.

"Of course, lamb chop. I'll bring it up soon," she said cheerily before zapping out again. Vlad turned the lights off in the office and headed upstairs to his library, determined to research more on his daughter and see if there was anything else he could gain from her. Now that she was with Daniel, she could be a threat to him. He already knew that she hated him- after all, he _had_ tried to melt her down to study her ectoplasm. However, she wouldn't come after him unless Daniel gave her a reason to. Having reached the library, he grabbed the nearest book on halfas and started to read, interrupted only by the hologram of his lost love bringing him cookies.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny woke up to blue mist coming out of his mouth. He sat upright and jumped out of bed, transforming quickly and phasing through the door to the hallway. No ghosts were around. He walked through the house, poking his head in every door. No sign of anything. He was about to go back to bed when he heard a cry from Jazz's room.

"Danielle!" he yelled, opening the door. She was sitting on her bed, catching her breath. He saw that she had gone ghost, explaining why his ghost sense had activated. "Are you alright? What happened?" She laughed dryly.

"I'm fine," Dani said. "I just went ghost without realizing it during my sleep and woke up in the floor between this room and downstairs. I didn't know where I was at first. But I'm okay, honestly." A familiar ring appeared around her waist and split in two directions as she switched back to human form. "Way to go, Dani. Now you're making yourself even more troublesome for him," she thought angrily. Danny gave her a concerned look.

"You still don't seem to have very good control over your powers, another reason why you shouldn't be out on your own. Will you at least think about the whole adoption process? I'm sure there's a family in Amity Park that would love to have you," he said, pausing at the end to smack himself on the forehead. "Wait a minute. I'm so stupid. Why don't you just live here? I could help you with your powers, and you'd have a home to live in." Dani stood up, almost knocking over Jazz's lamp.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that. Besides, what would you tell your parents? Look, thanks for the offer and letting me spend the night here, but I really need to go. I'll see you around." She walked toward the door but Danny blocked her. "Danny, you can't keep me here."

"I know. I just wish you'd let someone look out for you. You don't have to be all alone." Dani looked down at her feet. "Just think about it, okay? I'm sure I could make up a story that my parents would believe."

"I'll think about it. Thanks for everything," she mumbled, walking around Danny and going down the stairs. Danny stayed in Jazz's room, listening for the slam of the front door as Dani left him once again. Angrily he punched the wall, though his hands went intangible and merely slid through them. He reverted back to human form. How could he be so stupid? He knew that she wouldn't let anyone help her easily, and he had come on way too strong with the house offer. Besides, he didn't even know if he _could _manage to convince his parents to let her stay. He tried to push those thoughts out of his mind as he made Jazz's bed and went back to his room to attempt to sleep, hoping he would see his little cousin again soon.

Dani closed the Fentons' door behind her and looked back at it one more time before sprinting off down the street. She easily found the park and ran through the forest trail, glad it was early so no one was around. A lonely bench sat in the middle of a clearing near the center of the woods and she collapsed onto it. Tears spilled down her face as she quietly cried, curling up into a ball and hugging her knees. She had made herself a burden to Danny again and she hated herself because of it. If only she could manage better by herself, then Danny wouldn't feel like he had to take care of her like some babysitter. He was busy enough, he didn't need his stupid clone getting in his way.

After she sobbed for a few minutes to let out her anger, she dried her eyes and sniffed, wiping away her tears on her hoodie sleeve. As much as Dani hated herself for making Danny feel like she was his responsibility, she couldn't stop thinking about his offer. Last night was the first time in a long time she had slept in a real bed. And Danny had been right, her powers needed training. Her lack of sleep made her powers even more unstable than normal, which was why she hadn't gone ghost in so long. Plus, she _was _all alone. And she missed having a family.

"Maybe Danny really does care about me," Dani thought. She knew that Danny would take care of her if she had asked him, but she had thought that it was only because she was an annoying clone that he wanted to just take care of and send away. He had offered to let her _live_ with his family, though. He wouldn't have done that for just anyone.

Dani sat on the bench for another hour, absorbed in her thoughts. The sun rose slowly over the tops of the trees, warming the air and sending sunlight down into her little clearing. She could hear the laughter of other kids playing in the park but no one came and bothered her. After giving it much thought, she made a decision. She was going to live with the Fentons, if they would have her. Dani stood up and took a step back down the path when she heard a crunch. Lifting up her sneaker, she saw the remains of a…. _Vladbug?_

"Dad?" she whispered, picking up the tiny robot and holding it up to her eye. It hung limply in her grasp as she examined it. "Danny will want to see this," she thought. She started walking down the path again when her hand buzzed. The bug started crawling around inside of her fist, making her let it go with a cry. It was flung on the ground where she saw it start fixing itself. After everything was back to normal, it buzzed and flew up in front of her face. "Ew, get away from me," she snapped, trying to swat it out of the air. Its eyes turned black and it sprayed her with a strange purple gas. She started choking and tried to run out of the clearing, but it was too late. Dani became extremely dizzy and she fell to her knees, her vision fading. The trees spun around her as she blinked, trying to stay awake. But she just felt so _sleepy_. "Danny," she murmured once, before hitting the ground. She felt a sharp pain in her head before everything went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

"Man, this math project is so boring. Who cares if Columbus signed the Declaration of Independence?" Danny and his friends heard Dash and the other popular kids sitting down at the lunch table behind them. "Hey, Fenturd. You're doing my project for me. It better be an A, unless you want to spend the night in your locker again," Dash threatened, turning to shove his project papers at Danny before joining the rest of the group. Danny stuffed the papers in his book bag and started eating again.

"Man, I'm just as annoyed about it. I have so much homework to do over the weekend already," Tucker complained. He picked up some "mystery meat" on his fork and cringed as something in it wriggled. "Here, eat it for me." He slid the plate over to Sam, who gagged.

"Uh, does the word 'vegetarian' mean anything to you? Danny, you want it? You ate a lot of yours, surprisingly." Her friend didn't answer. "Earth to Danny. Hello?" Danny jumped as she poked him.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I zoned out for a bit. What did you want?"

"Do you want Tucker's lunch?" Danny shook his head.

"No, thanks, this stuff makes me sick." He glanced down and noticed that most of his plate was empty. "Oh, gross. Did I eat all of that?" Sam and Tucker nodded, giving him weird looks.

"Look Danny, you've been distracted all day. What's bothering you?" Sam asked. She knew something was wrong with him.

"It's just… Well, you two remember my ghost cousin Danielle, right?" They nodded again. "I saw her yesterday and she looked awful. She's been living on the streets, and I don't think she's been eating or sleeping. I felt bad so I let her stay for the night, but I'm still worried about her. I, uh…" he paused, not sure how they would react. "I offered to let her stay at my house. Permanently."

"You what?!" both of them shouted, drawing attention to their embarrassed table. "You don't know what she's been doing, Danny. How do you know she didn't go back to Vlad?" Sam asked, quieter.

"She wouldn't have gone back to him. He tried to melt her, and almost did. She probably hates his guts more than I do."

"Well, if you're sure about it, then we support you," Tucker said. "What did your parents say when you asked them?" Danny coughed.

"I haven't exactly asked them yet. But Dani might not even take me up on the offer. I know she hates being alone, but she also hates having to rely on others. I'm just hoping that she trusts me enough to let me take care of her." Sam placed her hand on his.

"Either way, we're here if you need us. Besides, I haven't really gotten to know her. Does she have as big of an appetite as you?" They all laughed as Danny told them it was bigger. He still felt anxious about Dani being out on her own, but being with his friends helped to distract him. Dani would come when she was ready. Smiling, he started talking to his friends again. Lunch was a great break from the stress of classes and he was ready to enjoy it.

….

High above the three teens, a tiny camera was watching them through the eyes of a robotic bug. Vlad watched coldly, frowning as their conversation changed topics. Why wasn't Daniel more worried about Danielle? She could be starving, for all he knew. "Wait, why do I care?" he thought to himself, shaking the thought out of his head. Danielle wasn't his problem. He doubted that she would agree to move in with the other halfa. If she agreed, he had a reason to be worried. The two half-ghosts would certainly be a threat if they worked together. He switched the screen to make sure she was still in the park. The screen, however, was black.

"What?" he exclaimed aloud. "What happened to the Vladbug?" He waited a few moments before the screen turned white and then showed him video feed again. The bug was on the ground next to a blue sneaker. "She must have found it," he thought. He checked the last minute of the video, right before the bug had been crushed. Danielle had started going back to the Fenton house! Taking over the bug's controls, he made it fly toward her.

"Ew, get away from me." He watched as the girl turned to run down the path.

"No way are you going to live with that stupid boy," he said angrily, pushing a button. Smoke came out of the bug's eyes. Vlad watched, somewhat sadly, as Danielle started choking and fell to the ground. He switched to another screen and sent out two of his new creations- Vladvultures- to go pick up the girl and bring her to him. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, only that he couldn't let the two of them team up again. It could mean devastation for him. Leaning back in his chair, he pondered over his next move and waited for his daughter to come home.


	7. Chapter 7

Dani slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing. She was in her bed, her old _Ember _posters on the wall. A stuffed rabbit lay beside her, its beady eyes hiding small cameras. A calendar on the wall listed her many training sessions listed for the day. She looked at her alarm clock and sighed. It was only five minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. Closing her eyes, she attempted to fall back asleep.

Suddenly she sat upright, realization dawning on her. This wasn't her home anymore. How had she gotten here? Dani jumped out of bed-relieved to see she was still in the clothes she had been wearing before- and ran to the door. Expecting it to be locked, she was surprised to find it open. The hallway was empty. She cautiously started walking toward the kitchen where she could hear someone banging pots and pans.

Inside, her saw her father cooking bacon. As usual, he was wearing a sharp, black, business suit and his grey hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. As he turned, she got ready to go ghost. He merely smiled, though, and held a plate out to her. "Bacon, dear?" She glared at him.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Can't a father simply spend quality time with his special girl?" Vlad set the plate down at the table and sat down on the opposite side. He beckoned for her to sit. Dani slowly walked over and sat, still refusing to eat. Her father went on as if everything were normal. "Now, your first training session will have to wait, sorry. I'm dealing with a little bit of trouble at work." Last night Danny Phantom had gone in search of Danielle. Vlad had sent Skulker after him to distract him. He had to keep an eye on him this morning to make sure he wasn't going to go looking anytime again soon.

"I'm not doing any training sessions, _Vlad. _I'm going home," she said, standing up. The word "home" almost caught in her throat. Hopefully she actually had one now. She turned to go when Vlad stepped into the doorway, blocking her path. He had doubled himself.

"That's _father_ to you, girl. And you aren't going anywhere. This is and always will be your home." Dani angrily tried to go ghost, and then gasped as a bolt of pain zapped through her body. The Vlad behind her chuckled.

"Having trouble with your powers? I'm not stupid. Check that band around your wrist. It's made of anti-ghost material." Dani noticed a thick metal band wrapped around her right wrist. How had she not seen that before?

"What do you want with me?" The Vlad in front of her grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway.

"Right now, I want you to go to your room. I'll come for you later when I need you." Dani dug her heels in, but it was no use. He easily dragged her back to her room and opened the door, shoving her inside.

"Wait!" she cried, turning to get out. The door was already shut. "Let me out!" She banged her hands on the door before pulling on the handle. Locked. Trying again to go ghost, she had to hold back a scream as pain ripped through her, driving her to her knees. She groaned in frustration. She didn't know why her father suddenly wanted her back, or why she was trapped in his house, but she was going to find a way out and get back to Danny. She had just gotten the chance to start a new life and she wasn't going to let her dad ruin it.


	8. Chapter 8

"Danielle!" Danny called. He was flying through the city again, trying to find her. He knew that she could easily be hiding, but for some reason he had a bad feeling. She would have told him by now if she was staying or not. Sam and Tucker had tried to reassure him. After all, it had only been a few days since she had run out of his house. He still tried to find her anyway, though.

He had looked everywhere. All of the schools, the park, random families' houses- one time he had forgotten to stay intangible and had surprised a dining family- and even the Ghost Zone. She wasn't anywhere to be found. He wondered if this was how it had always been for her. If she went missing, no one would notice. "I wouldn't have noticed," he thought guiltily. But that was the past. He was going to find a way to take care of the young halfa, even if he wasn't quite sure how yet.

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost!" Danny turned and saw a familiar ghost floating in front of him. He pulled out his Fenton Thermos.

"You know, for a ghost so wimpy, you sure do break out of the Ghost Zone a lot," Danny smirked, as he ectoblasted the ghost. There had been an unusual amount of ghost activity lately, and he was getting tired of having to fight them all of the time. "How'd you even get out this time?"

"Plasmius told me not to tell you," Box Ghost retorted. Then his face went pale. "Oh, wait. Forget I said that." Danny frowned as he easily sucked Box Ghost into the Thermos. Plasmius? What was he up to? He was going to go searching for Dani again while he thought about it, but then it struck him. Vlad probably had something to do with her disappearance.

Danny was about to fly down when he realized how many people were out. The sun had risen during his search and, as much as he wanted to help Dani, he had to go to school or his parents would kill him. Summer school was becoming a more and more likely way that he was going to spend the summer as he missed days due to fighting ghosts. He went back home and transformed again to get ready to leave. He knew that Dani was strong and hoped that she would be alright until he could come help her.

…...

Vlad Masters sat in his office, watching as Danny fought Box Ghost. He knew he should have sent out a smarter ghost- Box had given him away. He also knew that Daniel would try to find him as soon as he finished school, so he didn't have much time.

However, Vlad didn't know exactly what he wanted to do. He knew that he couldn't have let the two half-ghosts team together, but he had acted rashly. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with Danielle. She wouldn't cooperate with him, wouldn't act like she was his daughter.

Was that it? Did he miss having a family here? Vlad knew that he had felt guilty capturing the girl and was upset when she refused to do anything with him. Before, he had wanted to melt her and study her ectoplasm so that he could create a correct copy of Danny, the perfect son. But now he realized that he hadn't ever needed another Danny, he already had a perfect daughter. A daughter who hated him.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only thing he could think of. He exited the office and started walking toward Danielle's room. Inside he could hear music blasting. She was determined to be the worst daughter to him, but now he didn't care. He knocked on the door before opening it, looking inside. Danielle was already on her feet, staring at him warily. "What do you want?" she asked. Her cold voice made him cringe for a moment before he beckoned for her to go out in the hallway.

"Come with me. We're going to the lab."


	9. Chapter 9

Dani tried pulling her arm out of her father's grip but he was too strong. They went down to the lab and he made her sit on a chair, clamping her arms and legs to it despite her struggles. He watched as she squirmed, shouting at him the whole time. It saddened him. Kneeling down in front of her, he placed his hand on hers, even though she tried to pull it away.

"Listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you," he started. She slowly stopped fighting and just glared at him. His sad eyes calmed her a bit. What was he up to? Vlad hesitated, still unsure of how to proceed with his plan. "I just need some of your blood. And then you're free to go."

"I'm- wait, what?" Dani couldn't believe what she was hearing. The man who had manipulated her, tried to melt her, and then had kidnapped her was going to let her free with just a sample of her blood? This couldn't be right. "What's the catch? Are you going to use it to make some sort of weapon that'll destroy Danny and me? You can't make me go ghost to get my ectoplasm with this thing on my arm."

"No, I need it…" Vlad paused. The first time he had tried to do this, it had been for evil. It also hadn't exactly worked. But he thought that this time he could do it since he only needed a portion of her blood. "I need it to make a clone of you."

"What is with you and clones? You can't make another me. You couldn't even make another Danny. What makes you so sure it'll work?"

"Because I only need your human blood. I don't want to make another halfa. Just a human girl." He stared at Danielle in front of him, thinking about how soon he could have another daughter. One who loved him. Strangely, he didn't care about fighting Daniel anymore. He just wanted a family.

"Why would you want another me? Especially without my ghost powers?" Dani still didn't trust him.

"I was lonely while you were away. When I saw that you were going to live with Daniel, I was worried because I knew that the two of you could easily defeat me. So I brought you here. I regret doing that. It wasn't my choice to make, it was yours. But having you here has made me realize how much I miss having a family. How much I miss having a daughter."

"So you basically want to start from scratch? Make another me to live with you?" Dani couldn't imagine that this was his only motive. There still had to be some trick involved.

"Yes, that's all I want. I want nothing to do with hunting ghosts anymore," he said, surprising himself. But even as he said it, he realized that it was truly what he wanted to do. He was sick of being hunted all of the time. Sick of seeing these children who only wanted him dead. "I just want another daughter to live with me. I'm even moving. I'll move across the country; start over. Raise a family like a normal person."

"But you aren't a normal person. You're a half-ghost." She remained calm while he took a needle and drew some of her blood. As crazy as his idea sounded, she was starting to think that he was actually just trying to do it, no hidden strings. "Won't she find out?"

"I don't have to use my ghost powers. I'll just keep them hidden." He was about to go make the clone when he stopped. "Wait. I can't do this here. She might see you. I don't want her to know she's a clone, it'll make her feel like I don't care about her."

"Gee, sound familiar?"

"I'm sorry about the way I treated you, Danielle. I truly am." He turned to face her again. "And I would love to have you live with me. But I know after the way I treated you, you must hate me. So you're free to go, on one condition. You must promise me that you and Daniel won't come chasing after me."

"Why would we?" Dani was conflicted. She believed his story, but it was weird, knowing that there'd be another of her.

"I've been trying to destroy you and Daniel for a long time now. I'm done with all of that. If you promise to leave me alone, I'll let you free."

"Well… okay. We'll leave you alone. _Unless _we hear that there's been another sighting of Plasmius." Vlad smiled.

"Deal." He freed her from the chair and then broke the band off her arm. Even though she was free, Danielle stayed in the lab. She watched as he grabbed some random lab equipment and went upstairs to pack everything else. Alone in the room, she walked over to an old metal table with a band around the middle. This was where she had been when he had examined her the last time she was here. Over on the other side of the room was the wooden board she had been tied to when she had melted. The bucket that had held her ectoplasm was gone.

As much as she hated her father, knowing that he was going to live with another of her made her slightly jealous of his affection. Sure, he had acted like a father to her while she had believed that she was his daughter. He had only been using her, though. He hadn't meant any of it. He had proved that when he tried to melt her.

Suddenly, she heard a yell and something land beside her. "Vlad, don't you dare-" Danny stopped, looking around. "Where's Vlad?" She pointed upstairs. "Are you okay? I tried to get here sooner, but my parents would have ended me if I had missed anymore school. I know, stupid reason. What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, actually. He's done with fighting ghosts. He's packing up to move away. He just needed my blood to make a clone of me to live with him. A human clone. To start a family." Danny frowned.

"Wait, that's all he wanted? He didn't hurt you or vow some sort of revenge or anything?" Dani shook her head. "Well, I don't trust him. But he didn't do anything to you, so I'll let him go this time. Come on, let's go home." She smiled at the word and grabbed his hand, going ghost.

Danny wasn't sure what Vlad was up to, but he was going to let it slide. He wanted to get Danielle home. Now, there was only one problem left. _His parents…_


	10. Chapter 10

Danny stood outside his front door, his hand holding Danielle's. They were both in human form, unsure of how to proceed. Dani awkwardly shuffled her feet. She knew now that Danny did care for her, but it might not be enough. It was all up to how his parents felt about her. They still didn't have a plan for how to explain her. She didn't want Danny to lie for her, but he couldn't exactly tell them the truth either.

Danny felt just as conflicted. He wanted Dani to stay, but how could he convince his parents to let her stay? They didn't know that he was Danny Phantom, so he couldn't say that she was related to his ghost form. If he told them that she was his cousin, though, they would have known her parents. He couldn't just ask for them to adopt some random girl off the streets, either. They would just send her to the adoption agency, and he knew that Dani would rather be starving and on her own than that. He glanced over and saw her staring at the ground. He could tell she was just as nervous as he was.

"Listen, Dani," he said, getting on his knees and putting his hands on her shoulders. She gave him a mournful look. "I don't really know what I'm doing, and I don't know how it'll turn out. But either way, we're staying together. If they say you can't stay here, we'll work something out. But we're not splitting up again. You aren't going to fly off and leave. I'd miss you too much. Okay?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. Danny smiled at her and she jumped forward and hugged him. They stayed together for a moment before he stood up again, trying to think of a plan. There was only one thing that could work that he could think of, but he couldn't imagine doing it. It could turn out great, but it might also put his and Dani's lives in danger. Besides, he wasn't even sure if his parents could handle it.

"Danny?" He looked down to see Dani grinning at him. "Even if this doesn't work, I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me. You're the only family I've got. I wasn't sure how you felt about me at first, but I know now. And I'm glad I finally have a family, even if it might just be you."

"No problem," he laughed, ruffling her hair. Slowly, he reached for the door knob and opened it. They could both hear his parents talking in the kitchen, arguing over some gadget.

"_I _made the Fenton-Furnace," his father grumbled. "_I _should be able to do what I want with it."

"Sweetie, I know that you're proud of this thing. But we can't go around carrying a giant furnace, even if it does burn ghosts. I think we should leave it in the lab." They heard his father mutter something quietly before she replied. "Thank you. Now, want a cookie?"

Danny and Danielle walked down the hallway. They knew that she might not be able to stay, but she wasn't going to leave again either way. They were going to stay together. The two reached the kitchen and stood in the doorway. His father looked up from the cookie he was eating and his mother stopped dragging a giant black mechanism across the floor.

"Oh, hi, sweetie. Who's your friend?"

"She's…" Danny's thoughts raced through his mind, trying to think of something. Eventually he came to the same conclusion again. The only idea that would work. It was crazy, but he knew that it was time for his parents to know anyway. He had been hiding his secret too long. They deserved to know, even if it meant that they might come after him. Looking around the room, he saw his parents giving him expectant looks. Dani looked like she might puke. He said it quickly to get it over with. "She's my clone."

Dani's eyes widened and she stared at him. What was he thinking? Was he going to give away his secret? His parents looked from him, to her, and back to him again.

"She's what?"

Danny felt more confident now. It felt good saying something truthful to his parents. He had hated going behind their backs all this time. It was time to get everything out in the open. He repeated his statement: "She's my clone." Then he closed his eyes and quietly whispered the three words that would change his whole life forever.

"I'm going ghost."

….

**So, hey everyone. I know, rushed ending. Sorry about that. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews- they helped a lot. I know the story was kind of strange. It's my first, so I knew it would probably turn out really weird. It ended up a lot different than I had originally planned it haha. But I think it was okay. **

** So, yeah. It was just a quick little story to pass the time. I know that they were short chapters, and I didn't really develop the characters. Especially Vlad. Boy, he turned out crazy. That's not what I had planned for him at all. But the characters kind of took over the story themselves. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and helping me with my first story. Have a wonderful day! : )**


	11. My Lovelys!

**BWAH! Hello, my lovelys! It has been a very long time, hasn't it? I haven't had much time to get on Fanfiction lately.. sorry about that. Anyway. I thought I was done with this story~ honestly, it was my first, and I didn't think it was very well written or thought out. The ending was rushed, I did the last few chapters quickly and didn't really plan them out.. But I left it up, though, since you all adored it so much. *le blushes***

**Anywho, after months of not replying to your demands, for I am an evil writer, an idea struck my mind. Prepare yourselves. Are you ready?**

**The time for a sequel hath cometh.**

**Now be warned, I'm still in the planning stages (I am actually going to plan the whole thing out BEFOREHAND this time) and I am working on another piece for my Quotev account, so it might take me awhile to get started. But once I do, I'll do my darndest to update quickly. I'm not sure how that will go as I have a very busy schedule, but I WILL try.**

**Anyway, thanks again for all of the reviews the first time. It was my first story and it was very awkward getting into the hang of writing stories and posting them online. I don't really **_**like **_**the way I wrote the first one, but I'm not going to change it as I'll end up just wanting to take the whole thing down. So I'm leaving it up for you all ****:3 **

**I'll try to get this story going as quickly as possible, but don't expect anything anytime soon. I was just uber excited to think about this storyline continuing, and wanted to let you all know. Have a lovely day! : )**


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